


On building a boat

by silvercolour



Series: And the rest is history [2]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Although he’s technically still known as Crawly, Angst, Gen, Introspection, following instructions is no one’s strong point here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-10 01:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20126743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvercolour/pseuds/silvercolour
Summary: These humans are building an Ark to save people, and leaving most everyone behind. Crowley respectfully disagrees.





	On building a boat

"Oi, Shem! That unicorn is gonna make a run for it!"

Standing next to Aziraphale Crowley sighs, knowing he might as well shout at Heaven. He'll get an answer there sooner, even if the answer is likely to be angels sent from On High to stop his Evil Ways in a rather more permanent manner than he might like. He hasn't spent these last days and weeks "sabotaging" the great stupid boat to be stopped by Heaven’s forces now.

"Sabotaging" because while he has been sent by Below to do his job and tempt humanity, he finds it hard to follow through on this one. God might be done with humanity, but should that mean Hell should help Her?

Crowley is not so sure.

So, out of spite, as an act against God, no other reasons involved at all, he will help humanity, and as many creatures as he can, survive this storm. Just the once.

His plan is this: he has been playing a drunkard, several of them in fact, sometimes male, sometimes female. Every time Noah’s sons almost forget something(1) (2) he appears, and drunkenly gives advice on how they are *clearly* doing something great, and should definitely not do differently. Every time the drunken “help” they receive makes them pause, and think.

But the time for thinking is running out.

A single unicorn disappears in the distance, and the first clap of thunder sounds.

And Crowley can only do what he has always done best. He questions. Why should humanity deserve this- why would God create humans and then kill them- even the children?

And so he snaps at Aziraphale: “-are you going to say ineffable?”

And Aziraphale does not say it.

(1)Like not putting a proper rudder on the ship because clearly there is no risk of accidentally sailing into any mountain tops, or reminding them they’re forgetting the snakes by thanking them for not including”those blasted serpents”, or like now, a unicorn wandering off.

(2)Never Noah himself, Crowley knows better than to mess with any man who is told that God has Chosen him.

* * *

Aziraphale does not question.

God’s plans will work out for the better, it is not for him to understand the why. Even if the how seems... Well.

Wrong is such a strong word, and yet it is the only suitable word Aziraphale has been able to find for this- this method of the Almighty. That She should first create mankind, only to destroy Her Own creation after barely a thousand years. It baffles Aziraphale.

But he does not question.

When he is sent to make sure no extras sneak onto the Ark, he finds one faithful family, hard at work, building the Ark, collecting animals, doing as She has asked. He finds humanity, in all it’s flaws, it’s faults and it’s created-in-god’s-image. And he finds Crawly.

Observing from afar, he watches the demon do- Aziraphale finds it hard to pinpoint what it is that Crawly does. He acts like a drunken fool- a different fool almost every day- and yet his advice helps built the Ark day by day. Finally, on the last day before the Rain will fall, Aziraphale cannot hold back any longer. He must know why a demon acts in such a Righteous way.

He stands in the crowd and watches with them as the animals shuffle, run, slither, and walk past, knowing the demon will notice him sooner or later. He’s somewhat surprised to find it’s sooner rather than later. He answers Crawly’s questions about Her Plan for humanity -why must this demon question so much, Aziraphale whould like to know. But he finds that the answers leave a bad taste in his mouth even as he speaks them.

“Not the kids? You can’t kill kids.”

Ineffable, he tries to explain. It’s ineffable.

But Aziraphale can only nod. Yes, you really cannot kill kids. Yes, even the kids.

He does not remember to ask why a demon should act like Crawly has after that. But as the rain starts to fall Aziraphale feels that perhaps they understand each other a little regardless.

**Author's Note:**

> Crowley said “you can’t kill kids”, and I just had to angst. I have no regrets.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


End file.
